A INTREPID Widnes scientist has been awarded a doctorate by Leeds University following his pioneering work in the frozen wastes of the North Pole.

James Hopkins, 24, originally from Cronton and a former pupil of Wade Deacon High School and Widnes Sixth Form College, has been awarded the PhD in chemistry along with the university's J.B. Cohen Prize for his contribution to science.

He has spent the past three years looking at the chemistry of the atmosphere, studying the hydrocarbons in the air we breathe and finding out where they originate.

To collect the information, James did research in the Yorkshire countryside, Birmingham city centre ­ and the barren wilderness of the Arctic Circle.

During an gruelling eight-week voyage on the British survey ship, The James Clarke Ross, he used the latest high-tech equipment to measure sea temperatures, ocean circulation and air quality.

Travelling with a small team of other researchers, the ship set out from Hull to Greenland and then along the Arctic Circle to Northern Norway.

On the way, James saw first hand the wildlife living in this inhospitable region, including polar bears.

James is the youngest of five brothers and sisters who all attended Widnes Sixth Form College and who went on to achieve honours degrees.

He said: 'The polar bears didn't seem too happy that we were trespassing on their territory.

'But they were really awesome to see in their own habitat, as were the whales and seals that we saw.

'One of the most memorable sights, though, was the Aurora Borealis ­- the Northern Lights ­ off the coast of Iceland. It was breathtaking to watch.'

James' research gave clear results that the environments of the town, countryside and the sea are all closely connected.

He found that even the air in the Arctic is now polluted with hydrocarbons that originally came from towns and cities.

James is now working on a project with the British Antarctic Survey, where he is working on developing instruments that will be permanently stationed in Antarctica to help record the amounts of air pollution at the South Pole.

In his spare time James is a keen footballer for his local pub's team in Leeds and has recently taken up snooker.